


Jack Wilder, Master of Misdirection

by reesesd1191



Category: Now You See Me (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Innocent Jack, Jack pretends to be the assistant, Manipulation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28496655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reesesd1191/pseuds/reesesd1191
Summary: Misdirection was one of the most important aspects of magic.  Arguably the most fundamental value in any successful magician's repertoire.  And it was something that Jack Wilder was pretty great at- especially when it came to portraying himself as something other than what he truly was.Or how Jack used his interview with Alma Dray and Dylan Rhodes to distract the world from the true events that occurred on the bridge. that day.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 67





	Jack Wilder, Master of Misdirection

Alma watched as the young boy awoke by the sound of the door to his holding room open. He was young, younger than the others, and he was their last interview. Agent Rhodes had long ago lost his temper to the mentalist, and now, seeing this young boy  _ sleeping _ while being held by the FBI seemed to infuriate him only more.

_ He’s quite a light sleeper _ , she noticed as she took a seat across from him, Rhodes dropping the paper file onto the table as he used a finger to push the kid’s legs off to table as he slid forward in his chair.

“Jack Wilder,” Rhodes began as the kid crossed his arms, eyes flitting nervously between the pair of agents. Alma frowned slightly. The others all held up their smug, confident acts quite easily, but he seemed to already be breaking. “If that is your real name.”

Jack rolled his eyes at that statement. “It is.” He shifted forwards, leaning his arms against the table. “I thought you talked to Danny already?”

Rhodes narrowed his eyes. “We did,” He said coolly. “Why, do you have a problem speaking to us?”

Jack shook his head quickly. Too quickly. “No. I just figured since Danny’s the leader, you’d only really have to talk to him.” Alma leaned forwards, her tone softer than any other that she had used so far.

“And what do you see yourself as?” She asked as his eyes switched over to her. “Your position in the group?” Jack pulled at the sides of his leather jacket, glancing down at the metal table in front of him.

“Well, Danny says I’m just the assistant,” He said, his voice quieter than before. Rhodes glanced at her briefly, seeing the same thing she saw. If he was just “the assistant”, then perhaps he would be easier to break than the others.

“And the others call themselves the main attraction?” Rhodes said. “How does that make you feel?” Jack looked up at them, a confused expression on his face that made him look younger than he actually was.

“Why?” Jack asked. “What does that have to do with the bank?”

“Well, since you’re the assistant, we assumed you didn’t have much involvement in stealing the money from the bank,” Rhodes shrugged. “Right?”

Jack had a glum look on his face. “Well, I guess not.”

“So we just need your help filling us in on the dynamics of the group.” Alma picked up where Dylan had left off. “You’re very young. You’re eighteen years old?”

“Nineteen.” He corrected.

“So how did you get involved with the other three?” Rhodes asked. Even his tone had softened up by a millimeter- he could obviously tell that the force he used with the other three wasn’t going to help with this situation, where they seemed to be actually getting somewhere. “Reeves is an escapist who has had several shows in Vegas. Atlas is a popular street magician and McKinney has had several tours in the past.”

“You, however, were not previously established,” Alma said after Dylan paused a beat. “This is your first big show, correct? How did you meet the others?”

Jack pressed his lips together, moving his hands into his lap. “I don’t remember,” He said shortly. The agents shared a glance. This was obviously a lie.

“Listen, Jack, we know how the others treat you.” Dylan began. “You’re too young for them, too inexperienced, right? They don’t trust you with the big tricks- but I assume you’re more talented than they know. Why don’t you just leave them, start your own show?”  
“I don’t want to,” Jack said, shaking his head fiercely.

“Are they making you be their assistant?” Alma asked, reaching out to touch his hand. He quickly pulled back, eyes snapping up to her in alarm. “If they are forcing you to follow them, Jack, we can help you.”

“No!” His voice grew loud. “They’re not forcing me to do anything. Just… Ask Danny or Henley.” He shut down, pushing his chair backwards a bit as he folded his arms across his chest, no longer meeting either gaze. They weren’t going to get anything out of him anymore.

Alma looked at Dylan, shaking her head softly. They both stood up, Dylan slipping a piece of paper across the table. Jack looked up at it.

“That’s my phone number.” Dylan said. “If you have anything else to say or you need help, you can call it and we’ll talk.” Jack looked up, taking it slowly to fold it up and slip it into his pocket.

They exited the room, slowing down as the door shut, glancing through the one way mirror back at the boy. He continued to fidget nervously in his chair, one hand slipping into his pocket where the phone number was hidden.

“I’d say he was a victim, if anything else.” Alma said, crossing her arms as she stared at Dylan.

“That was nothing like what the audience saw last night.” Dylan shook his head. “Whole different person. What do you think changed?”

“The threat of jail time?” Alma suggested. “He is a child. He got caught up in the magic of the other three and didn’t realize how deep they were going to pull him in.” Dylan nodded in agreement, looking down at the file in his hands.

“We’ll keep an eye out for him.” Dylan nodded. “If we can separate him from the other three in any other situation, we should try and get more out of him. He’s our best bet to explain the bullshit the other three are pulling.” ALma nodded, sighing softly as he walked away from the conversation.

She took a seat at the small kitchenette that was still in view of the interrogation rooms. She watched as they were all released, the older three looking nonchalant as they joined each other, Jack being the last one out, per her request

Alma watched as he glanced over to her, a regretful look on his face before he heard Merritt McKinley call his name, pulling a smirk on his face as he walked over to the others to be escorted out.

A bad feeling formed in her stomach. It was the other three that were keeping him there to do their dirty work- he was nothing but a child who got roped into something that he wasn’t prepared to handle.

If she could save one of them, it was going to be him.

  
  


The bad feeling that had settled in her stomach after they released the Four Horsemen from their original interrogations didn’t go away. In fact, it only got worse, until she was driving a car, chasing after Jack through the streets of New York as he wildly tried to escape the cops once again.

“Where are the others?” She asked Dylan as she flew through an intersection- if they lost him, they lost one of their biggest leads.

“It was just him in the apartment.” Dylan explained, leaning towards the window in order to get a better vantage point as they followed after him. “They left him behind to get rid of the evidence I think. He’s got a paper in his car- I think it’s important.”

“They left him all alone to face all of the FBI?” She muttered under her breath. “Some friends they are.”

“I’m not sure they consider him a friend.” Dylan raised his radio to his lips as they turned onto a new road. “We’re on his tail, heading east on FDR drive.”

“This is not east!” ALma snapped at him as she tried to weave through cars as best she could.

“North, north, we’re heading north on FDR drive.” Dylan corrected himself, watching through the side window as the black sudan narrowly avoided each car in front of it.

“We need to stop him somehow.” Dylan said, gripping onto his door as they began to turn onto the bridge. “Either that or he’s going to get into a car accident.” Alma swerved, slowing down slightly to avoid crashing into the side of a truck.

“You’re behind a bus!” Dylan snapped at her as a bus pulled into the same lane as Jack, obstructing their view. Alma frowned, pressing her lips together as she moved the steering wheel.

“I am aware,” She said tensely, Jack’s car moving into the left lane as they were finally able to see it again. But he didn’t stop there- the front wheel knocked into the partition between the two sides of the bridge, sending the car up the wall and onto its top as it began to roll.

She gasped, slamming her foot on the break as it began to topple over itself, slowing down with each roll. “Oh, shit!” Dylan cried, grabbing onto his seatbelt. The car landed with a crash upside down as Alma swerved to the side, stopping most of the traffic as Dylan jumped out of the car, running towards the wreckage as a fire began to start on the underbelly.

Alma wrenched herself out of the car, watching as Dylan crawled into the passenger seat as the flames began to engulf the car. She gasped, pressing a hand to her mouth as Agent Fuller practically dragged Dylan out of the car right before it exploded.

He died. Jack, the one who looked to be the only innocent one out of the Four Horseman, had perished in the car chase. She leaned against the car as Dylan approached her, a devastated look on his face as their eyes met. She knew that Jack was the only one they believed could have been saved, but now he had died while being chased by the only people who promised to help him.

“He died trying to protect this.” Dyland said, pressing a rolled up piece of paper into Agent Fuller’s hand as he ran a hand through his hair. “Have the lab analyze the stuff on it and see what got him killed.”

Alma pulled her gaze away from the burning car as it began to crumple in on itself. She couldn’t believe the deep shame she felt- maybe, if they had let him get away, his car would not have flipped and he would have escaped alive. Maybe they would have another opportunity to save him if they had not pursued him to such a degree.

In a flash, there was a camera in her face and a reporter holding a mic up to her mouth. “This is Rachel, reporting from the scene of the crash. Ma’am, you are Interpol Agent Dray, sent in to aid in the investigation of the bank robbery committed by the Four Horsemen in Vegas. Do you have any comments on the car crash of Jack Wilder, one of the Four Horsemen?”

“Umm…” Alma quickly pulled herself together, looking from the simmering car to the camera. The possibility of the other three watching popped up in her head, and she could not help but feel hatred for them.

“Jack Wilder was the youngest of the Four Horsemen.” She began, spotting Dylan behind the camera. “Although this has not been concretely proved, our interrogation suggested that he was coerced by the other three magicians into assisting them for crimes that he did not sign up for.”

“His death will be difficult to bear, but we must continue our investigation into the other three magicains that make up the Four Horsemen. No further comment..” Alma said definitively., moving away from the camera quickly and joining Dylan’s side.

He said nothing, only following after her, brow quirked in surprise as the bold statement.

  
  


“Okay, what the hell did Jack say to that Interpol agent that made them think he was a  _ victim _ ?” Merritt asked the other two Horsemen as they jumped into the car, finally making their last escape to Central Park.

“It was obviously convincing.” Daniel said distastefully. The cleanup they had to add to their video was not something he enjoyed- it had derailed their original plan, made them add to script and make sure the world knew that Jack Wilder was just as talented and used in their shows as the rest of them, even if he wasn’t front and center for most of the time.

“Does it matter?” Henley asked with a grin. “It got rid of a lot of the pressure we would’ve felt if they weren’t spending their time mourning over his death. It also distracted them from the possibility of foul play in his death.”

“She’s right about that.” Merritt nodded as they began to get closer to their destination. “The scared kid accidentally crashing his car because he’s scared of what we’ll do to him if he fails is a much better story than him just accidentally spinning out of control. It’s a much better story than what you came up with, Atlas.”

Daniel looked at him, rolling his eyes although he agreed- he just didn’t need to be vocal about it. He was never one to sing Jack’s praises, but the story the media had painted for him  _ was _ much better for their situation, even if it did make them a bit less liked than they’d hoped.

They pulled up to Central Park, quickly getting out and abandoning the car and the keys before they made their way to the front gate. “It’s locked.” Henley declared, grabbing the padlock that was wrapped around the bars.

“Weren’t you listening?” Jack appeared in the darkness, a rare smirk painted across his face. “Nothing’s ever locked.”

“Well done, Mr. Wilder!” Henley praised as he reached forwards, unlocking it easily as the group broke out into praises.

“You’re a big boy now, Jack.” Merritt said, clapping him on the back as he opened the gate for them. “Although, I’m not sure the media recognizes that.” Jack smiled, shaking his head at that as they joined him inside the park.

They quickly made their way to the Lionel Shrike tree- Daniel was too focused on their final goal to sing anymore praises then he had to, now that they were so close. All it took was waving their cards in front of the card in the glass and the carousel lit up, already beginning to spin and playing a tinny song through its speakers.

“No way,” Jack said as the person in front of the carousel finally came into their view.

“I did not see that coming.” Merritt admitted as their eyes fell onto FBI Agent Rhodes, arms splayed in welcoming as he grinned at the Four Horsemen.

“That was actually pretty good.” Daniel nodded in a rare state of shock as they slowed to a stop in front of him.

“Thank you,” Dylan nodded, looking at each of them with a proud look on his face.

“When I said always be the smartest guy in the room…” Daniel clarified. The others rolled their eyes. Always one to focus on himself.

“We were in agreement.” Dylan said, crossing his arms. “Henley.” He said to the shocked woman, nodding to her as the smile on his face only seemed to grow with her quietness.

“I’ve never seen her speechless.” Danny commented offhandedly, making her elbow him in his side as he frowned at her, not realizing what he had said wrong.

“Hey man, I am so sorry for kicking your ass. Really.” Jack spoke up, seemingly worried based on his expression. Dylan shook his head, waving his arms.

“No worries.” Dylan said. “And that innocent act you pulled? That wasn’t in the plans I gave you, was it?” Jack glanced between Dylan and the others, smiling as he shook his head.

“No.” He said. “I just figured, everyone always loves kids much more when they’re the victim, so it wouldn’t hurt my case if I pretended.” He shrugged, making Dylan nod along.

“Genius.” Dylan said. “Misdirection at its finest. Really.” Jack grinned. That was all he needed for any worries that had formed when Dylan’s identity was revealed to melt away. He had done it, more successfully than Dylan could have hoped for.

That was all he needed to hear.


End file.
